Personal Narrative: My First Vietnam War

On July 1-3, 1863 in the town of Gettysburg Pennsylvania, Confederate and Union armies compile 50,000 a causalities in what would be the deadliest battle of the Civil War and American History. Major General George Meade of the Union Army of the Potomac and General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia turning point of the Civil War with a decisive victory of the Union. Costly missed opportunities and lack of intelligence lead to failure by the Confederate army and Union Army’s resilience of defense on the high ground of the Hills of Gettysburg tell the story of the Battle.

Late in the afternoon of July 2, 1863, on a hillside in southern Pennsylvania, Union Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain made history, leading his 20th Maine Regiment in the most famous counterattack of the Civil War. This battle was one of the battles that changed the tide in the war for good. Before the battle, Colonel Chamberlain placed his men on a hill called Little Round Top. The fight for Little Round Top was an intense fight within the larger Battle of Gettysburg. The struggle to control a strategic hill on the battle’s second day became legendary because the bravery of the men from the 20th Main. Once the men were on the mountain they began building a small wall for them to hide behind unfortunately this did not give much protection.

Through journals and diaries, Mary Chesnut, Warren Goss, and Randolph Mckim provide diverse views of the civil war and no military and that time period. Because of the perspectives of the authors, their views vary in both subject matter and opinion, Chesnut was not affected by the war, only would be if the south loses, Warren goss told us about the military, through his experience in the military. Mckim illustrates what life is like is like on the battlefield. Based on these differences, Mckim provides the most compelling and accurate account of life during this time period.

The book begins with a Confederate scout and his job was to locate the position of the North and count the number of soldiers. The scout takes the information and informs the confederate generals. General James Longstreet wanted to go north to Gettysburg to plan a defense but General Lee wanted to attack instead. The union General, General Buford at the same time rode to Gettysburg to realize the confederates were getting close so he quickly came up with a plan to move to a hill to set up and wait for the confederate army. Unfortunately, the Confederates failed to obtain the high ground on the hills, which allowed the Union army to take defensive action. The novel goes back to when General Lee was wanting to attack the union army and Gen. Longstreet trying to convince Lee that it wasn 't the best option. Gen. Longstreet thought it

On April 7th, the confederate army launched a surprise attack on union forces under the control of General Ulysses S. Grant in Tennessee. Although the confederate forces had the Union surprised, the Union pushed them back and won the battle. Although the Union won the battle, both sides faced heavy losses. Grant feared defeat because he was surrounded by confederate artillery, so he retreated. The union formed a battle line at a sunken road named the Hornets Nest. There, the Union held off the confederate attacks and pushed them back until the confederate gave up. This was one of the many battles that crushed the moral of the confederate soldiers. Soon maybe the confederate will decide that this war is not worth fighting.

In day one (July 1, 1863), the Confederates attack first in the west of Gettysburg. The day starts off with General Lee and General Longstreet discussing tactics while riding, Longstreet wants to out flank the Union army and cut off the road to Washington, forcing the Union to attack. Lee prefers that the Confederate army attack the Union army at Gettysburg and defeat them, then take Washington, as Lee believes that defending is not as honorable as attacking. They are interrupted by the sound of cannon fire and Lee decides to ride toward the guns. It is discovered from Buford’s point of view that the rebels have begun to attack, and his line is able to repel the first rebel charge. The rebels attack once again and once again they are held off. It is discovered that General Heth of the Confederacy is leading the charge, and a last large rebel attack is given. Buford knows he cannot hold the lines, but is saved by reinforcements from General Reynolds, who is shot in the open and killed. The Union line does not give in. Later, in Lee’s point of view, we learn that he has established a base of commands and the readers learn of the calamity of the battle, how Heth initially believed he was only attacking militia. The battle continues and Lee is informed that it appears the Union line is falling back. Lee meets Longstreet again to discuss tactics and Lee concludes that he will attack. In Chamberlain’s point of view, it is learned that Twentieth Maine is approaching Gettysburg, and

The battle of Fredericksburg happened in December 11-15 1862.It was one of the largest and deadliest battles in the civil war. Union and confederate soldier fought in the streets of Fredericksburg. Nearly 200,000 combatants no other civil war battle featured a larger concentration of soldiers.The union army’s main assault against Stonewall Jackson produced initial success and held the promise to destroy the confederate right. In the meantime Burnside’s “diversion” against veteran Confederate soldiers behind a stone wall produced a similar number of casualties but most of these were suffered by the union troops. Wave after wave of Federal soldiers marched forth to take the heights, but each was met with devastating

In the year 1863, the Civil War was 2 years in. At the beginning of the year the war seemed to be in the hands of the Confederacy, but throughout the year the tables turned and it was apparent that the Union was gonna win the war. In January, “Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation [went] into effect” and there were 6-8 significant battles that transpired between then and May of 1863. At the end of May was the first assault on Port Hudson in Louisiana. This assault was a turning point for the Union and their goal of winning the war. Commodore Palmer expresses this by stating, “It is to be hoped that Port Hudson will fall some day.” But just a days walk away was Simmesport where an enemy(Confederate) crossing started a skirmish.

Boom! A cannon whizzed past my ear, nearly taking off my head! I looked around and saw death, from both sides, but mainly I saw more fatalities in men dressed in Union uniforms. After retreating, the general, whose name I found out to be Ulysses S. Grant, said that we had lost this battle, the Battle of Bull Run. He said we were located in the state of Virginia, and that we were to travel south, towards this state’s capital, Richmond. For almost an entire year, we regained our strength, tended

General Schofield once said, “Hell had broke loose” (Cox 104). This battle of which he described is known as the bloodiest war ever. It all began when Hood lost the campaign. Hood tried to lure General Sherman into battle by interrupting his railroad supply. Along these railroad lines, there were many men set up there. So Sherman decided to take his chances by removing some of his men off of the railroad. This made Hood angry. This made him head to Tennessee (“The Battle of Franklin”). .

The rather grave period from 1861-1865 was known as the Civil War. The Civil War stands as an American phenomenon and important significance to the history of our country (qtd. in Stout, “Baptism in Blood”). One of the bloodiest and most notorious battles occurred in 1863, and was known as the Battle of Chancellorsville. The battle was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, and was considered one of the Confederacy’s greatest victories as well as, arguably, the best victory for General Robert E. Lee. Another significance of this battle is the death of the famous Stonewall Jackson, which devastated Lee. This essay will explain the events that happened during the 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville.

Picture a scene of complete and utter chaos, a scene of terror and fear. Now imagine that you are in the thick of it, except that scene is the Siege of Petersburg. Around you are the sounds of muskets firing, hundreds at a time, their smoke clouding your vision, the smell of burning gunpowder filling the air, and the boom of artillery as it reigns down around you. You are a Confederate soldier hiding behind the fortifications of what remains of Petersburg, vastly outnumbered by the seemingly never-ending supply of Union Yankees. You wonder whether you will make it out with your life, or become yet another rebel casualty to the failing Confederate cause. “When will this end?” you ask yourself. Little do you know, it is far from over…291...291 more days of the brutality that we call war. However horrific, war brings good things as well. In the case of Petersburg, forcing the Confederate surrender.

Around noon, Union and Confederate cavalry troops battled three miles east of Gettysburg but Stuart was eventually repulsed by cannon fire led in part by Gen. George Custer and the Union Cavalry. The diversion attempt failed. Back at the main battle site, just after 1 p.m. about 170 Confederate cannons opened fire on the Union position on Cemetery Ridge to pave the way for the Rebel Charge. This was the heaviest artillery barrage of the war. The Federals returned heavy cannon fire and soon the battlefield was covered in smoke and dust. Around 2:30 p.m. the Federals slowed their rate of fire, then stopped firing, to conserve ammunition and to fool the Rebels into thinking the cannons were knocked out-and that's exactly what the Rebels thought too. But as the Rebels got within range, Federal cannons opened fire using grapeshot which is a shell containing iron balls that flew apart when fired, and they also used deadly waves of rifle fire. Soon the Rebel army was torn apart but they still moved forward. Pickett’s charge was almost more after the once majestic army of 13,000 had its numbers of troops dwindle.. The Rebels still move forward, shooting then charging with bayonets. The battle lasted for about an hour mostly of hand-to-hand combat. Finally what was left of Pickett’s charge (5,500) retreated. Lee admitted this was his mistake and the tide of war now turned in the North’s favor. The Union lost (either dead, wounded, or missing) about 23,000, and the Confederates lost about

In the early spring of 1864 Nathaniel Bedford Forrest entered his native state of Tennessee. Forrest and his troops were eager to see the changes of the state because the Union had been occupying it for over two years. When they arrived they were disgusted. “The land was picked over and brown, with burned farmhouses and ruined barns dotting the horizon.”(7) This enraged the confederates, and Forrest told the citizens that he would retrieve revenge on the Union by attacking Fort Pillow. The confederates were shorthanded on supplies and men, before they attacked the fort, Forrest and his troops raided Union cities along the way. Forrest was not interested in taking anyone as a prisoner, so he only took goods that the city had to offer. The

History is usually written by the victors of war. The Civil War is no different. We often hear stories about the famous Iron Brigade and its tenacious fighting ability or of the “fighting” 69th Irish Regiment of New York but many historians have overlooked the epic sacrifices Southern soldiers endured. Sure, everyone has heard of Robert E. Lee or “Stonewall” Jackson, but the men under their command are the reasons for their fame. Many times, the men from a certain geographical region are grouped together, whose combined regiments formed brigades. This paper is a tribute to the men of North Carolina who, gave their lives fighting for the Confederate cause; with a focus on the 28th Regiment of North